Delirious vs. Tyler Black vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Go Shiozaki (#1 Contendership fro ROH Title Later) --- ***1/4
Roderick Strong vs. Kevin Steen --- ***1/4
The Briscoes vs. Matthews/Necro Butcher (Philadelphia Street Fight) --- ***1/2
Brent Albright vs. Erick Stevens --- **1/4
Richards/Romero vs. Ruckus/Jigsaw (ROH Tag Titles) --- ***1/2
Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries --- ****1/2
Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black (ROH World Title) --- ****1/2
Bonus Matches
Dingo vs. Davey Richards --- **
Ruckus/Jigsaw vs. Pearce/Whitmer (#1 Contendership for Tag Titles at TNP) --- *3/4
Marufuji/Sugiura vs. The Briscoes (GHC Heavyweight Tag Titles) --- ****
Monday, July 28, 2008
Great American Bash 2008 Review
Can the show reach it's potential?
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated John Morrison and The Miz, Jesse and Festus, and Finlay and Hornswoggle to win the WWE Tag Team Championship (9:06)
Hawkins pinned Jesse after pulling him off the top rope.
**1/4
This was fine for what it was...a fun little house sho match.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy to win the WWE United States Championship (9:36)
Benjamin pinned Hardy after the Pay Dirt.
**3/4
I was suprised to see Shelton win the title clean like that. I think these 2 can do a little better though.
Mark Henry defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW Championship (5:31)
Henry pinned Dreamer after The World’s Strongest Slam.
During the match, Colin Delaney turned on Dreamer.
*
A Colin heel turn? Really?
Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels (18:18)
Jericho won when the referee stopped the match while Jericho was punching Michales in the eye.
***1/4
Match told a good story but it got really old really quick.
Michelle McCool defeated Natalya Neidhart to win the WWE Divas Championship (4:43)
McCool made Neidhart submit with The Anklelock.
This match was for the vacant Divas Title.
¾*
Did they really need another title? Let alone another women's title?
World Champion CM Punk and Batista fought to a No Contest (11:05)
During the match, Kane came down and attacked both men.
***1/4
Great job by both guys here. The finish left a lot to be desired but it is what it is.
John Bradshaw Layfield defeated John Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl (15:12)
JBL pinned Cena after throwing him through a windshield.
**
Match was both fun and stupid.
Triple H defeated Edge to retain the WWE Championship (16:46)
Triple H pinned Edge after a Pedigree.
During the match, Alicia Fox and Vickie Guerrero interfered.
***
I felt these 2 could hit **** if they were both on their games, maybe the next encounter will connect stronger.
Probably the worst WWE PPV so far this year. Nothing overly bad or anything but nothing that stands out.
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated John Morrison and The Miz, Jesse and Festus, and Finlay and Hornswoggle to win the WWE Tag Team Championship (9:06)
Hawkins pinned Jesse after pulling him off the top rope.
**1/4
This was fine for what it was...a fun little house sho match.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy to win the WWE United States Championship (9:36)
Benjamin pinned Hardy after the Pay Dirt.
**3/4
I was suprised to see Shelton win the title clean like that. I think these 2 can do a little better though.
Mark Henry defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW Championship (5:31)
Henry pinned Dreamer after The World’s Strongest Slam.
During the match, Colin Delaney turned on Dreamer.
*
A Colin heel turn? Really?
Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels (18:18)
Jericho won when the referee stopped the match while Jericho was punching Michales in the eye.
***1/4
Match told a good story but it got really old really quick.
Michelle McCool defeated Natalya Neidhart to win the WWE Divas Championship (4:43)
McCool made Neidhart submit with The Anklelock.
This match was for the vacant Divas Title.
¾*
Did they really need another title? Let alone another women's title?
World Champion CM Punk and Batista fought to a No Contest (11:05)
During the match, Kane came down and attacked both men.
***1/4
Great job by both guys here. The finish left a lot to be desired but it is what it is.
John Bradshaw Layfield defeated John Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl (15:12)
JBL pinned Cena after throwing him through a windshield.
**
Match was both fun and stupid.
Triple H defeated Edge to retain the WWE Championship (16:46)
Triple H pinned Edge after a Pedigree.
During the match, Alicia Fox and Vickie Guerrero interfered.
***
I felt these 2 could hit **** if they were both on their games, maybe the next encounter will connect stronger.
Probably the worst WWE PPV so far this year. Nothing overly bad or anything but nothing that stands out.
Monday, July 14, 2008
TNA Victory Road 2008 LIVE Review
I'm going to review this a little differently since I was there live.
Camera side of the arena had virtually no one. I kept waiting for it to get a little more full but it never happened. My friend (who had never really seen TNA) kind of started getting on me about the small arena not filling up. Pretty much all weekend he was ragging on TNA (but not in a mean spirited way). Keep this in mind for later…
Before the show they announce the Spanish announcers (Hector gets a nice pop) and the regular play by play guys. JB is out next and he plays around with the crowd for a bit. He brings out ODB and she signs autographs and what have you. JB does his thing about loud fans getting to go backstage. During this a cute girl in front of me got on her chair and started getting loud. When JB went to our section to see who was rowdy she flashed him (I assume it was just bra). JB said nothing…thus confirming his homosexuality…
JB then brought out a special guest…Kevin Nash! I got to say…Nash looked wasted. He kind of staggers down to the ring in sandals with a beer as my friend and I are about to ROFL. JB ask him who’s winning the main event. Nash says Joe isn’t talking to him, but Booker told him he’s bringing the gold home (nice pop for that). Nash then starts to walk away, then goes back to JB, points at Tenay and West and says, “There’s the American announce table…” and walks away. Say hi to Hall in rehab for me Kev!
Star Spangled Banner is next. Willie Nelson’s daughter was the performer and OH MY GOD SHE WAS MIND NUMBINGLY AWFUL! She had this atrociously nasal voice that will keep me awake at night. This isn’t just one person’s opinion either. People were looking around thinking this was a “Jillian Hall” joke or something. When they realized it wasn’t they stared at each other in shock. Someone actually screamed, “You suck!” at her. Another man behind us said the same thing. I can’t describe how bad she was.
Show begins and my friend turns to me and says, “This place is too small for opening fireworks.” Seconds later, the opening pyro shakes us to our very souls. LOL at
BG James hosting the opening or whatever the Hell he was doing. My friend is an attitude era mark so he got a good laugh.
Team TNA (Curryman/Sabin/Shelley) vs. Team Japan (Milano Collection AT/Yoshino/Puma) vs. Team International (Williams/Koslov/Dux) vs. Team Mexico (Ultimo Guerrero/Bucanero/Averno) in a 12 Man Elimination Tag Match
We knew that the opening match would be the 12 man match because the flags were on the turnbuckles (We’re college graduates…YAY!). Needless to say this match blew my fucking mind. I’m glad to see that it wasn’t just the mark in me thinking this was awesome. Fastest 25 minutes I’ve ever been apart of. TNA gave them the time to shine and they came through. Curryman is over like Rover in Houston. This felt a lot like the main events of ROH Supercard of Honor shows. Total spotfest and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My TNA MOTY so far, although Team TNA winning guarantees another winner in UX.
Rating: ****1/4
Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love
This was OK for 6 minutes. Nice turnbuckle Figure 4 from Gail where she remains horizontal throughout. Velvet Sky is smokin’ and Hurricane is a lucky bastard. A tad disappointing overall as Gail wins with a neckbreaker.
Rating: *1/2
Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal
This was exactly what I thought it would be for 9 minutes. There was an annoying asshole behind me who kept saying that Lethal wasn’t Macho man. When he screamed, “SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!” I’ll admit I chuckled, but seriously…stop trying to get yourself over and shut the fuck up. Dutt is a pretty good heel btw. I liked the Low-Ki-jump-in-the-ring-and-land-next-to-him-then-kick-him spot. I thought Val was turning on Lethal when she kept distracting him from winning. I guess they’ll save that for the next match or whatever. Dutt wins with a rollup.
Rating: **1/2
LAX vs. Beer Money Inc. for the TNA Tag Team Titles
I liked the pre-match promo from BM INC. When Strom said he couldn’t wait to get out of Houston I applauded (I hear ya James…I hear ya…). When their music hit they got a pretty good ovation (at least from my section…I wasn’t paying attention to the others). Standard tag match here. I feel they could do a lot better if they played some house shows together and got a little more chemistry, but it’s understandable that this is what we got. I kind of wanted to see Hernandez do his dive, but then I realized the fans were out there and that might not be the best idea. Like I said though, solid stuff as LAX retain with the Doomsday Gringo Killa.
Rating: **1/4
Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong for the TNA Knockouts Title.
My friend doesn’t get the appeal in Kong. When the crowd started chanting for her, he asked why they would want her on TV over a hot chick. Worst match of the night here. Nothing offensively bad, but not great or anything. I promise this is the last time I bitch about a fan right here, but there was this kid behind me who kept chanting “You’re gonna go in a Houston ambulance (to the tune of, “You’re gonna get your Fucking head kicked in”) for quite a while, then when Wilde was walking to the back and Saeed attacked her, his dad said, “Just like 9/11, no one saw it coming. (because the character is of Middle Eastern decent) and then the kid said the 9/11 thing again. Stupid douche bag rednecks. Anyway, rant over. Wilde wins with a rollup. Didn’t expect to see Abyss coming down. Man did the crowd want Abyss vs. Kong.
Rating: *1/4
Kaz vs. Naruki Doi vs. Volador Jr. vs. Daivari in an Ultimate X match.
I had fun with this. I’m glad Doi was in it instead of Milano. Started off a little slow, but It eventually got underway. I’ll just skip to one of the best spots I’ve seen in TNA in a long time. I don’t even need to mention which spot but yes the Kaz legdrop. Holy shit indeed. At first I thought he was going to do the Low Ki double stomp, but then I thought that’d be too dangerous so I then assumed he would do the Daniels leap of faith to get the X. Let’s call it somewhere in the middle. That literally had me jumping out of my seat. I don’t even think the crowd was that pissed when Volador won initially due to the shock of the last spot, although they weren’t too happy during the trophy presentation.
Rating: ***1/4
Styles/Christian/Rhyno vs. Angle/Team 3D in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
Yeah like there was anyway FCA or Tables match was winning. They didn’t show us the voting results live but we all figured it out when they wheeled out tables and ladders during the X Cup trophy presentation / match hype video package. I was a little upset I didn’t get to see Kurt rise from the ground in his entrance. When Brother Ray came to the ring, he took a beer from a fan, drank some, and then threw it onto the crowd. That’s just awesome. The match itself was spot happy but in a good fun way. I loved AJ’s leaping ladder spot. When the entrances were taking place my friend pointed out that the Ultimate X pillars were still there. We thought nothing of it until Christian scaled one and jumped off. Towards the end it seemed Rhino and Christian had disappeared. I kept waiting to see them again, but never did. I figured Angle would get his win back over AJ here and he did with the Angle Slam off the ladder through the table. Not as good as the opening match but not far behind.
Rating: ****
Samoa Joe vs. Booker T
I’m glad this got the in ring introduction because it helped make the match feel grand. The crowd was about 90-10 in favor of Booker. I’m a little surprised at that because at Vengeance last year Booker got barely a reaction, but here he’s treated as a God. I was one of the few who was cheering Joe. My friend went with Booker about halfway into the match to let me fend for myself. I’m not a vocal guy at shows but I was cheering Joe on hard here. Whenever Joe looked in our direction I always made sure to applaud him. I don’t think this would have been nearly as good without the crowd, which bumped it up from average to pretty good. Plus, Joe killin bitches is always fun. The ending really confused me live. I thought the match was still going on until I heard Booker’s music at the end. I totally forgot Sting was gonna be there, but when he showed up even some Joe marks turned on the champ and went with Sting. I’ll really have to see how this came across on TV and how it’ll play out over the next few weeks. When Booker’s music hit at the end and the crowd started chanting “bullshit,” I decided to get out of there. This was officially a No Contest.
Rating: ***1/4
Final Thoughts:
Definitely a fun show to be apart of, even though most people say Vengeance sucked last year and I went there and had fun too. Even my friend who had never really seen TNA said it was great, and he doesn’t really like wrestling anymore. We talked about the show quite a bit on the ride home and it may the drive seem shorter as a result. When the matches were good, they were really good, but a lot of the undercard is mediocre. Find a way to see the opener and FMM match as quick as possible.
Camera side of the arena had virtually no one. I kept waiting for it to get a little more full but it never happened. My friend (who had never really seen TNA) kind of started getting on me about the small arena not filling up. Pretty much all weekend he was ragging on TNA (but not in a mean spirited way). Keep this in mind for later…
Before the show they announce the Spanish announcers (Hector gets a nice pop) and the regular play by play guys. JB is out next and he plays around with the crowd for a bit. He brings out ODB and she signs autographs and what have you. JB does his thing about loud fans getting to go backstage. During this a cute girl in front of me got on her chair and started getting loud. When JB went to our section to see who was rowdy she flashed him (I assume it was just bra). JB said nothing…thus confirming his homosexuality…
JB then brought out a special guest…Kevin Nash! I got to say…Nash looked wasted. He kind of staggers down to the ring in sandals with a beer as my friend and I are about to ROFL. JB ask him who’s winning the main event. Nash says Joe isn’t talking to him, but Booker told him he’s bringing the gold home (nice pop for that). Nash then starts to walk away, then goes back to JB, points at Tenay and West and says, “There’s the American announce table…” and walks away. Say hi to Hall in rehab for me Kev!
Star Spangled Banner is next. Willie Nelson’s daughter was the performer and OH MY GOD SHE WAS MIND NUMBINGLY AWFUL! She had this atrociously nasal voice that will keep me awake at night. This isn’t just one person’s opinion either. People were looking around thinking this was a “Jillian Hall” joke or something. When they realized it wasn’t they stared at each other in shock. Someone actually screamed, “You suck!” at her. Another man behind us said the same thing. I can’t describe how bad she was.
Show begins and my friend turns to me and says, “This place is too small for opening fireworks.” Seconds later, the opening pyro shakes us to our very souls. LOL at
BG James hosting the opening or whatever the Hell he was doing. My friend is an attitude era mark so he got a good laugh.
Team TNA (Curryman/Sabin/Shelley) vs. Team Japan (Milano Collection AT/Yoshino/Puma) vs. Team International (Williams/Koslov/Dux) vs. Team Mexico (Ultimo Guerrero/Bucanero/Averno) in a 12 Man Elimination Tag Match
We knew that the opening match would be the 12 man match because the flags were on the turnbuckles (We’re college graduates…YAY!). Needless to say this match blew my fucking mind. I’m glad to see that it wasn’t just the mark in me thinking this was awesome. Fastest 25 minutes I’ve ever been apart of. TNA gave them the time to shine and they came through. Curryman is over like Rover in Houston. This felt a lot like the main events of ROH Supercard of Honor shows. Total spotfest and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My TNA MOTY so far, although Team TNA winning guarantees another winner in UX.
Rating: ****1/4
Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love
This was OK for 6 minutes. Nice turnbuckle Figure 4 from Gail where she remains horizontal throughout. Velvet Sky is smokin’ and Hurricane is a lucky bastard. A tad disappointing overall as Gail wins with a neckbreaker.
Rating: *1/2
Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal
This was exactly what I thought it would be for 9 minutes. There was an annoying asshole behind me who kept saying that Lethal wasn’t Macho man. When he screamed, “SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!” I’ll admit I chuckled, but seriously…stop trying to get yourself over and shut the fuck up. Dutt is a pretty good heel btw. I liked the Low-Ki-jump-in-the-ring-and-land-next-to-him-then-kick-him spot. I thought Val was turning on Lethal when she kept distracting him from winning. I guess they’ll save that for the next match or whatever. Dutt wins with a rollup.
Rating: **1/2
LAX vs. Beer Money Inc. for the TNA Tag Team Titles
I liked the pre-match promo from BM INC. When Strom said he couldn’t wait to get out of Houston I applauded (I hear ya James…I hear ya…). When their music hit they got a pretty good ovation (at least from my section…I wasn’t paying attention to the others). Standard tag match here. I feel they could do a lot better if they played some house shows together and got a little more chemistry, but it’s understandable that this is what we got. I kind of wanted to see Hernandez do his dive, but then I realized the fans were out there and that might not be the best idea. Like I said though, solid stuff as LAX retain with the Doomsday Gringo Killa.
Rating: **1/4
Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong for the TNA Knockouts Title.
My friend doesn’t get the appeal in Kong. When the crowd started chanting for her, he asked why they would want her on TV over a hot chick. Worst match of the night here. Nothing offensively bad, but not great or anything. I promise this is the last time I bitch about a fan right here, but there was this kid behind me who kept chanting “You’re gonna go in a Houston ambulance (to the tune of, “You’re gonna get your Fucking head kicked in”) for quite a while, then when Wilde was walking to the back and Saeed attacked her, his dad said, “Just like 9/11, no one saw it coming. (because the character is of Middle Eastern decent) and then the kid said the 9/11 thing again. Stupid douche bag rednecks. Anyway, rant over. Wilde wins with a rollup. Didn’t expect to see Abyss coming down. Man did the crowd want Abyss vs. Kong.
Rating: *1/4
Kaz vs. Naruki Doi vs. Volador Jr. vs. Daivari in an Ultimate X match.
I had fun with this. I’m glad Doi was in it instead of Milano. Started off a little slow, but It eventually got underway. I’ll just skip to one of the best spots I’ve seen in TNA in a long time. I don’t even need to mention which spot but yes the Kaz legdrop. Holy shit indeed. At first I thought he was going to do the Low Ki double stomp, but then I thought that’d be too dangerous so I then assumed he would do the Daniels leap of faith to get the X. Let’s call it somewhere in the middle. That literally had me jumping out of my seat. I don’t even think the crowd was that pissed when Volador won initially due to the shock of the last spot, although they weren’t too happy during the trophy presentation.
Rating: ***1/4
Styles/Christian/Rhyno vs. Angle/Team 3D in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
Yeah like there was anyway FCA or Tables match was winning. They didn’t show us the voting results live but we all figured it out when they wheeled out tables and ladders during the X Cup trophy presentation / match hype video package. I was a little upset I didn’t get to see Kurt rise from the ground in his entrance. When Brother Ray came to the ring, he took a beer from a fan, drank some, and then threw it onto the crowd. That’s just awesome. The match itself was spot happy but in a good fun way. I loved AJ’s leaping ladder spot. When the entrances were taking place my friend pointed out that the Ultimate X pillars were still there. We thought nothing of it until Christian scaled one and jumped off. Towards the end it seemed Rhino and Christian had disappeared. I kept waiting to see them again, but never did. I figured Angle would get his win back over AJ here and he did with the Angle Slam off the ladder through the table. Not as good as the opening match but not far behind.
Rating: ****
Samoa Joe vs. Booker T
I’m glad this got the in ring introduction because it helped make the match feel grand. The crowd was about 90-10 in favor of Booker. I’m a little surprised at that because at Vengeance last year Booker got barely a reaction, but here he’s treated as a God. I was one of the few who was cheering Joe. My friend went with Booker about halfway into the match to let me fend for myself. I’m not a vocal guy at shows but I was cheering Joe on hard here. Whenever Joe looked in our direction I always made sure to applaud him. I don’t think this would have been nearly as good without the crowd, which bumped it up from average to pretty good. Plus, Joe killin bitches is always fun. The ending really confused me live. I thought the match was still going on until I heard Booker’s music at the end. I totally forgot Sting was gonna be there, but when he showed up even some Joe marks turned on the champ and went with Sting. I’ll really have to see how this came across on TV and how it’ll play out over the next few weeks. When Booker’s music hit at the end and the crowd started chanting “bullshit,” I decided to get out of there. This was officially a No Contest.
Rating: ***1/4
Final Thoughts:
Definitely a fun show to be apart of, even though most people say Vengeance sucked last year and I went there and had fun too. Even my friend who had never really seen TNA said it was great, and he doesn’t really like wrestling anymore. We talked about the show quite a bit on the ride home and it may the drive seem shorter as a result. When the matches were good, they were really good, but a lot of the undercard is mediocre. Find a way to see the opener and FMM match as quick as possible.
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